Dubai Pledges to Train One Million AI Prompters in World’s First Program
Dubai, UAE – Dubai is quickly establishing itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). As part of this effort, the city has announced its ambitious goal to train one million people in AI prompting over the next three years, making it the first program of its kind in the world.
The initiative, called ‘One Million AI Prompters’, was launched by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The DFF oversees the AI prompt program and is dedicated to making Dubai a future-ready city.
“We want to be the most future-ready city and continue to prepare for the AI era by developing expertise and skills that support global technological change and put Dubai at the forefront of innovation,” said Sheikh Hamdan.
Dubai, along with Abu Dhabi, is the most important emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The country is preparing for the post-oil era and is investing heavily in transforming itself into an AI powerhouse. By 2031, the UAE aims to generate 40% of its GDP from AI. To achieve this goal, the country has appointed the world’s first Minister of State for AI, attracted top scientists to the Gulf, and provided significant support for start-ups.
AI prompt engineering is a critical skill to harness the full potential of generative AI. It involves understanding the capabilities, limitations, and nuances of AI models and is predicted to be one of the most important skills in the future workplace.
The ‘One Million AI Prompters’ initiative is the world’s first program to prepare expertise and competencies in AI prompt engineering. This involves crafting precise and effective instructions for AI systems to achieve desired outcomes in various tasks, ranging from generating creative content to solving complex challenges.
“We want to show people that there is a full spectrum of use cases. Whether you are technical or non-technical, you can utilize these tools,” said Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications. Al Olama, who was appointed as the world’s first AI Minister of State in 2017, also emphasized the importance of developing practical prompt engineering skills for the workforce of tomorrow and for enhancing quality of life through AI.
To kick off the ‘One Million AI Prompters’ initiative, the first Global Prompt Engineering Championship was recently held in Dubai. The competition highlighted the broad applicability of AI tools beyond traditional coding, with categories including literature and art. In AI, a prompt refers to a specific request to a language model (e.g. ChatGPT or others) that can provide the user with an answer or solution.
The Global Prompt Engineering Championship received thousands of entries from around 100 countries, with thirty finalists from thirteen countries qualifying to compete in Dubai for the title of best prompt engineer in three categories. The winners were Australian Megan Fowkes in the art category, Indian Ajay Cyril in coding, and Aditya Nair in literature. The Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DCAI) provided one million dirhams, approximately 273,000 US dollars, in prize money for the three winners.
The UAE is increasingly being recognized as a strategic partner by global tech giants. Microsoft, Google, and IBM participated in the first championship with workshops, and other companies and countries have also expressed interest in AI collaborations. The UAE has had an AI university since 2019, and the sovereign wealth fund Mubadala has established a $100 billion AI fund.
Recognizing the UAE’s leading role in AI development, Microsoft recently invested $1.5 billion in G42, the leading UAE-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology holding company. “This strategic investment will enhance the UAE’s position as a global AI hub and provide further opportunities for partners and customers to innovate and grow,” said a Microsoft representative.
For more information on the Global Prompt Engineering Championship, please visit: https://challenge.dub.ai/en/
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.